Transforming Inpatient Venous Leg Ulcer Management Through Early Specialist Tissue Viability Intervention

Area of Science:

• Nursing
• Vascular Medicine
• Wound Care

Background:

• Inpatient venous leg ulcer care often lacks consistency.
• Delays in vascular assessment and compression therapy prolong healing.
• Fragmented treatment pathways negatively impact patient outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate a front-door Tissue Viability Nurse-led service for inpatient leg ulcer assessment.
• To improve the timeliness and consistency of specialist wound care upon hospital admission.
• To assess the impact of early intervention on healing and care coordination.

Main Methods:

• A descriptive service improvement evaluation was conducted.
• Tissue Viability Nurse assessment, including vascular evaluation, was initiated within one working day of admission.
• Early compression therapy and standardized wound care protocols were implemented.

Main Results:

• Early specialist involvement facilitated timely compression therapy initiation.
• Reduced variation in inpatient wound care and minimized duplicate referrals.
• Improved staff confidence, interdepartmental collaboration, and patient-reported continuity of care.

Conclusions:

• A front-door Tissue Viability Nurse-led model enhances timeliness and coordination in leg ulcer management.
• This specialist service improves consistency and safety of care processes.
• The model offers a scalable approach to address international gaps in acute wound care.